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Fiveon the Fly by MeLinda Schnyder    WHO: Mark Baker COMPANY: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) POSITION: President and CEO HOME BASE: Florida Keys Marathon International Airport (KMTH) RATINGS: Commercial pilot with single and multiengine land and seaplane ratings, rotorcraft rating, and type ratings in the Cessna Citation 500 and 525s and DC-3 HOURS: 15,000 12 • TWIN & TURBINE / May 2020 1. What are the top issues AOPA is working on in 2020? Our advocacy arm is truly the heartbeat of AOPA – giving more than 300,000 pilots, aircraft owners and aviation enthusiasts a voice. Every day our government affairs staff and regional managers are working on the Hill and at the state and local levels advocating for GA pilots and protecting our nation’s airports across the country, as well as working at the FAA to prevent onerous over-regulation. Especially during the recent COVID-19 crisis, our government affairs team has been in overdrive to make sure that GA airports receive funding to thrive even when traffic is down. And that pilots get relief from some of the aviation deadlines that are hard to meet when so much of the country is shutdown. This year, one of our priorities is building up the House and Senate GA Caucuses, which currently have more than 280 members. Maintaining relationships with bipartisan leaders is imperative to educating and fostering champions of GA at the highest levels of Congress. AOPA has also made it a priority to support the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation (NCAA), which would bring together all stakeholders in support of a national industry forum to address workforce challenges facing the industry and ensure that the United States remains competitive. It would help advance Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)-based aviation curriculum to reach the 25,000-plus high schools across the country, assist in apprenticeships and help military veterans and others transition to good-paying technical jobs in the aviation industry. We have been working closely with industry groups and Sen. Inhofe (R-Okla.) to make this a priority in 2020. 2. In 2019, the National Aeronautic Association recognized AOPA’s You Can Fly initiative with one of its highest honors. Tell us about the organization’s efforts to make GA flying more accessible and affordable to all. Since AOPA’s founding in 1939, lowering costs and reducing barriers has always been the focus of the organization. AOPA’s You Can Fly Program has developed initiatives to support flying clubs, encourage best practices in flight training, get lapsed pilots back in the air, bring AOPA’s resources and expertise to pilot groups across the country and invite high school 


































































































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